Urge ITV to Stop Broadcasting the Grand National

Twenty-nine horses have died as a result of racing at the Grand National meeting since 2010, and countless others have been injured. Urge ITV to drop its support and stop broadcasting the event, in which horses are forced to race to their death.

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At over 4 miles, the headline Grand National race is one of the longest and most hazardous in the world – the high risk factor is what makes it famous. Almost every year, horses lose their lives during the three-day “festival”, sustaining horrific and often fatal injuries at notorious fences such as The Chair, Becher’s Brook, and the Canal Turn. Every time horses are forced to jump these excessively high obstacles, it puts tremendous pressure on their slender front legs, leading to broken legs, necks, and backs.

When horses get too old or stop performing well enough to be profitable, they're often sent to slaughter. Five hundred horses connected to the English racing industry are sent to the abattoir each year and turned into dog food or cheap meat, while others face horrific live-export journeys to Europe.

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By broadcasting and promoting the Grand National, ITV is complicit in animal abuse and suffering. Please take a stand for horses today and ask the channel not to broadcast this cruel event.

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ITV

Dear Viewer Services,

I was excited to learn that ITV broadcast a virtual Grand National in 2020 in which no real horses were at risk of injury or death. However, my excitement was replaced with disappointment when ITV once again aired the real-life Grand National Festival in 2021. Will you please pledge never to show this event again and permanently switch to airing the virtual race instead?

The Grand National is one of the deadliest events on the horse-racing calendar. Horses die almost every year as a result of racing in the Grand National, and twenty-nine of them have died since 2010. Every race is likely to bring yet more catastrophic breakdowns, fractured bones, broken spines, and deaths. Promoting events in which horse deaths are almost guaranteed is shameful, and I urge you to remove the cruel spectacle from your programming.

In the headline Grand National race, 40 horses must run side by side at breakneck speed on an intentionally hazardous obstacle course. They face 16 fences, 14 of which they’re forced to jump over twice. These fences are larger, both in height and width, than those found at other UK racecourses – and many have ditches on either side that are wider and deeper than what most horses are able to clear. The deadliest jump, Becher’s Brook, is often called the “killer fence”, for obvious reasons.

The dangerous course makes it almost impossible for horses to get through the race unscathed. Twenty-five out of 40 horses failed to complete the race in 2021. Some collapse from exhaustion, while others simply stop running, unable to go on. Multiple horses racing at top speeds frequently approach jumps at the same time, causing chaos, confusion, and fatal headfirst crashes.

Fortunately, the public is starting to recognise that the opportunity to wear a fancy hat doesn’t justify this cruelty, and many people are now turning their backs on this form of animal abuse. As one of the UK’s leading television networks, ITV should be at the forefront of this movement by promoting ethical programming and refusing to broadcast an archaic spectacle in which animals are treated like nothing more than objects for our entertainment and disposed of like old betting slips.

I urge you to help prevent horses from being raced to their deaths in the name of “sport” by ceasing to air the Grand National.

Regards,

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{user_data~Email Address}

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Urge ITV to Stop Broadcasting the Grand National

Twenty-nine horses have died as a result of racing at the Grand National meeting since 2010, and countless others have been injured. Urge ITV to drop its support and stop broadcasting the event, in which horses are forced to race to their death.

Take Action

Send Your Message

Thank You For Speaking Out For Horses